Is My Copy of Naked Lunch a First Edition? How to Tell
You have a copy of William S. Burroughs’s Naked Lunch (sometimes styled The Naked Lunch in UK editions) and you want to know if it’s a first edition. This novel has a complex publication history spanning multiple countries, and the question “which is the true first edition?” has a definitive answer that surprises many collectors.
The Quick Answer
The true first edition of Naked Lunch was published by Olympia Press, Paris in 1959 as part of their “Traveller’s Companion” series. It is a small paperback with a distinctive green wrapper. The US first edition was published by Grove Press, New York in 1962 — three years later.
If you have a US hardcover published by Grove Press, you have the US first edition but not the true first.
The Olympia Press True First (Paris, 1959)
Identification
- Publisher: The Olympia Press, Paris
- Series: Traveller’s Companion Series, No. 76
- Format: Small paperback (approximately 7” x 4.5”) with a printed green wrapper
- Price: Francs 1,500 (old francs) on the rear wrapper
- Wrapper: Distinctive Olympia Press green — all Traveller’s Companion volumes used this green wrapper design
- Title page: “THE NAKED LUNCH by William Burroughs” — note: no middle initial “S.” in the Olympia edition
- Copyright page: “Copyright by William Burroughs, 1959”
- Pages: Approximately 230 pages
Condition and Values
The Olympia Press paperback is inherently fragile — it was produced on cheap paper with a thin paper wrapper, never intended as a collectible artifact. Finding a copy in truly Fine condition (bright green wrapper, no tanning, no spine wear, no chips or tears) is extremely difficult.
| Condition | Unsigned | Signed |
|---|---|---|
| Fine | $8,000–$20,000 | $20,000–$50,000+ |
| Near Fine (minor wrapper wear) | $4,000–$10,000 | $12,000–$30,000 |
| Very Good (wrapper wear, tanning) | $2,000–$5,000 | $6,000–$15,000 |
| Good (significant wear, chips) | $800–$2,000 | $3,000–$8,000 |
| Without wrapper | $200–$500 | $1,000–$3,000 |
Print Run
Olympia Press printed approximately 5,000–10,000 copies — a standard run for the Traveller’s Companion series, which mixed serious literary works (Nabokov’s Lolita, Beckett’s Watt, de Sade) with erotica. Many copies were confiscated by customs agents (the book was banned from import into the US and UK), and many more were read to pieces — the Olympia paperback format does not survive rough handling.
The Grove Press US First (New York, 1962)
Identification
- Publisher: Grove Press, Inc., New York
- Format: Hardcover with dust jacket
- Dust jacket: Distinctive black and red design
- Price: $6.00 on the front flap
- Copyright page: “First Printing” stated
- Title: Naked Lunch (no “The”) — the US edition dropped the article
- Author: William S. Burroughs — the Grove edition uses the middle initial
Condition and Values
| Condition | Without Dust Jacket | With Dust Jacket |
|---|---|---|
| Fine/Fine | $800–$1,500 | $3,000–$8,000 |
| Near Fine/Near Fine | $400–$800 | $1,500–$5,000 |
| Very Good/Very Good | $200–$400 | $800–$2,500 |
| Good/Good | $75–$200 | $300–$1,000 |
Signed Grove First
| Condition | Value |
|---|---|
| Signed, Fine/Fine | $5,000–$15,000 |
| Signed, Near Fine/Near Fine | $3,000–$8,000 |
The UK First Edition (John Calder, 1964)
The UK first was published by John Calder (Publishers) Ltd., London in 1964 as The Naked Lunch (retaining the article). It is a hardcover with a dust jacket, valued at $500–$2,000 in Fine/Fine condition.
Which Should I Buy?
The Olympia Press true first is the premier collectible — it is the edition that literary scholars and serious collectors value most highly. It is also the most expensive and the hardest to find in good condition.
The Grove Press US first is the practical collector’s choice — it is a proper hardcover with a dust jacket, more available than the Olympia, and priced at roughly one-quarter the Olympia’s value. For most collectors building American Beat Generation collections, the Grove first is the standard entry.
The UK Calder first is the value play — scarcer than the Grove and less expensive, it appeals to collectors who value the international publication history of Beat literature.
Common Questions
Why was the book published in Paris first?
Naked Lunch was unpublishable in the United States in 1959 — its content (explicit sexuality, drug use, violent imagery) would have immediately triggered obscenity prosecution. Maurice Girodias at Olympia Press in Paris specialized in publishing works that were banned in English-speaking countries. He published Lolita, The Story of O, and works by de Sade and Henry Miller alongside pornography — a mixture of literary ambition and commercial exploitation that defined the Olympia imprint.
The US publication only became possible after a series of obscenity trials in the early 1960s gradually expanded the boundaries of what could be published. Grove Press, under Barney Rosset, was at the forefront of the American censorship fight and published Naked Lunch as part of a deliberate strategy to challenge obscenity law.
Was Naked Lunch really assembled at random?
The composition history is complex. Burroughs wrote the material that became Naked Lunch over several years, and different versions existed in various states of organization. The Olympia edition was assembled with assistance from Allen Ginsberg, Jack Kerouac, and others from the manuscript materials Burroughs had produced. The novel’s fragmented, non-linear structure is partly artistic choice and partly a reflection of the compositional process.
How do I authenticate a signed Burroughs?
Burroughs signed books and ephemera throughout his career, particularly in the 1980s and 1990s when he became a countercultural icon. He died in 1997. His signature is a compact “William S. Burroughs” with distinctive letter forms. Forgery risk is moderate — Burroughs values are high enough to attract forgers, but his signing volume was sufficient to create ample genuine supply. PSA/DNA and specialist Beat Generation dealers can authenticate.
My Olympia Press copy has a different number on the spine. Is it the right book?
Olympia Press Traveller’s Companion volumes are identified by a number on the spine. Naked Lunch is No. 76. If your copy has a different number, it is a different title — Olympia published many volumes in the same green-wrapper format.